Vacant homes damaged by fire

April 20, 2007|SUE LOWE Tribune Staff Writer

SOUTH BEND -- Investigators believe arson might be the cause of a fire that damaged two vacant houses on Florence Street on the city's west side Thursday morning. South Bend Fire Department Capt. Robert Brechtl said the fire started at 1631 Florence St. and then jumped to 1633. He said there were no utilities hooked up to the house where the fire started and he would be investigating it as a possible arson. His department got a call about the fire about 6 a.m. Thursday. Gary Chadwell, of Home Buyers Co., said the group bought 1633 Florence two or three years ago and had just finished rehabilitating it. "I guess we're going to have to do it again," he said. Brechtl expected to spend at least part of the day trying to find out who owns 1631 Florence, where the fire started. Phyllis Glassburn, who lives across the street from the fire, said the house where the fire started has been abandoned for a long time. She suspects homeless people are staying in another vacant house on the street, but she hadn't seen anybody going in and out of the one where the fire started "except our local scavenger" who went in and took all the plumbing.